Bread strike, even bakers join protests due to increase in raw material prices

Not just farmers and hauliers protesting against high diesel prices or demonstrators in the streets against the high cost of living. Also joining the protests that are characterizing our country in recent days, especially in the South, are bakers. As "Il Corriere della Sera" reports, in fact, some bakers in the province of Cosenza have decided to side with the hauliers and a few days ago started a sort of bread strike, with the lockout of their bakeries. It all started on October 16th but should continue until at least Tuesday October 20th. The reasons behind the protest? The increases in raw material prices and the ultimatums that often come from large-scale retail trade.

A good part of the over 800 bakers in the province of Cosenza, in the last few hours, have decided to station themselves on state road 106, near the Sibari plain, making common cause with the truck drivers who are protesting against the indiscriminate increases in diesel fuel. And some from other regions, such as Sicily, have also been added to the ranks of Calabrian bakers. "Unfortunately, from November 1st we will be forced to increase the price of bread from 3 euros per kilo to 3.80," said one of the protesting bakers. The cost of paper and plastic has also increased by 50 percent. A liter of gas today costs 1.10 euros, i.e. 70 cents more. For flour since mid-September the increase has been 10 euros per quintal: today it is 60 euros. And then electricity, and in general the high cost of living, which rightly leads employees to ask for salary increases", he added.

Calabrian bakers explained in unison that we need, in particular, "contributory benefits for hiring" otherwise this profession could even disappear. "We also tried to involve the Region, but they seem too busy providing financing for industrial photovoltaic and wind power", said another baker.

There is also large-scale distribution (large-scale retail trade) in the sights of the agitating bakers. "The supermarkets say that if we increase bread by 80 cents, half of the increase goes to them. Otherwise they won't take any. Scandalous", underlined a participant in the mobilization. And the "returned", i.e. the bread that is not sold "only south of Rome is returned to the producer".